I recently updated my Forceware driver for my 7800GT. I wish I would have written down which dirver I was using before the update, but I updated to the 92.91 driver set. I think I saw a slight performance upgrade, but during a LAN (about 4 days after updating) my computer froze during some games. Then it started to BSOD during normal operations. I first thought this might be the nForce 4 Chipset drivers which I updated. That didn't help. So I downgradded my graphics card driver to the 91.52 set. That didn't work. So I reset my OCed settings in the BIOS back to default, and now everything runs smooth.

The problem is that I don't know what the problem is! I just don't understand how a graphics card driver would send my entire oced configuration out the window. I've tried minor voltage increases here and there to see if maybe it cause some unstability, but the outcomes where even worst. I just don't know what to do now. I even upgraded the BIOS which was almost a year old and it still didn't help. The system runs smooth with sock settings, but why would it now, after running stable for like 4 months since overclocking crash on me?

I run an A64 X2 3800+ with the Abit Fatal1ty AN8 SLI, 2gb Crosair DDR, and the 7800GT.

Well the LAN was at my house actually so the only movement the case recieved was about a 2inch slid over towards the edge of my desk. As for the cooling, minotrs showed the same report as always and temps where at a safe level.

So I reset my OCed settings in the BIOS back to default, and now everything runs smooth.

The problem is that I don't know what the problem is!

the OC is the problem, of course restart from scratch for finding the maximum stable overclock, not every OS, driver, application is as sensitive to OC as the other, might well be that the new driver and bios and chipset driver are more prone to crash when errors are dedected through OC. It's not because it worked well for 4 months that the system was 100% stable, just maybe no errors popping up "worse" enough to crash the system.

Prime95+3DMark2001SE loops, Folding@Home and MEmtest86+ should help you to maximise your system OC without sacrificing stability

but now something else seems to be bothering me. I'm trying to run my ram at DDR-333 CAS: 3-3-3-8 @ 2.7v. It seems to be working until windows GUI and other things start to mess-up. So increase the voltage right? After all stock runs at 2.6v so we have some nice overhead room. So I bump the sucker up to 2.75v and the system shuts-down in mid air. And it does this for every voltage level (in .05v increments) up to 2.95v (I can go to 3.0v, but MOBO starts to set off alarms after that) and the same thing happens. The system just shuts down mid-air right when it's loading Windows.

So, 2.7v barley works keeping it stable enough to boot and run a few apps maybe. But anything below that voltage level and system won't boot, anything above and the system dies while loading Windows.

Is it me, or does that sound a bit strange? Is there some factor that changes (that I don't know off) when I increase the ram voltage levels that's causing this to happen?

I'm a bit lost here, cause I even got my CPU running 100Mhz+ from my last OC, and the ram, which at DDR-333 runs at 217Mhz with timming of 3-3-3-8 should be able to handle thoes settings with a bit of extra voltage.

I think I solved the problem. I had the nf4 oced from 1.5v to 1.6v, and when I installed the new nf4 drivers it must have had a nervous breakdown. Anyways, back at 2.5Ghz @ 1.575v and ram running in DDR333 CAS: 2.5-3-3-8. Stable by memtest, OCCT, and RMA Stability analizer.

I was wondering. I think I could run the ram at 3-3-3-6 or what I have it at now 2.5-3-3-8. Which one would be more effective in theory?